GLEN COVE COMPUTING NEWS

Welcome to the May Issue of Glen Cove Computing News. In this month's feature article So You Want Your Own Web Page?, I'll discuss the tools and methods that are available for creating Web pages. In this seventh issue of Glen Cove Computing News you'll also find:

• Sites To Help You Create Web Pages
• GCC Tech Tips
• Internet Site of the Month
• Cartoon of the Month
• Internet Technology of the Month

1. Use a text editor and add in the HTML commands yourself.
2. Use an HTML editor that inserts the commands for you.
3. Use a conversion utility that takes a document from another format and converts it to HTML.

• HTML CD for Windows, by Neou & Recker (Prentice Hall PTR)
• HTML For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Tittel & James (IDG)
• HTML Sourcebook, by Graham (Wiley & Sons)
• Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML 3.0 in a Week, by Lemay (Sams Publishing)

Once you've purchased the book(s) begin by creating a simple Web page and save it locally to your hard drive. My first page was a personal home page that included links to some of my favorite Web pages and some graphics that I found interesting. Concentrate on learning the correct syntax for each of the HTML tags and use a browser to check your work. I prefer to use Netscape 2.x because of its support for the newest HTML tags and its status as the preeminent web browser. I also check my pages with Microsoft's Internet Explorer to ensure that non-Netscape browsers will also be able to view my pages.

For a text editor I prefer TextPad for Windows 95, a shareware package that's available from Helios Software Solutions for $30 + shipping. Unlike the Windows notepad, TextPad can open multiple files of any size and has a number of powerful features including file management and search tools. You can download an evaluation copy of TextPad from the TextPad Home Page. If free is the right price for a text editor consider using the Windows Notepad, DOS Editor, or Crisp Lite for UNIX.

There are a number of packages available to help the HTML newbie create their first pages. I've worked with three of these packages: HoTMetaL Free, Microsoft FrontPage, and GNN Press (formerly NaviPress). While each of them have their advantages I've found the best product to be HoTMetal Free from SoftQuad.

HoTMetaL Free was the first HTML editor I ever worked with when I began creating HTML pages two years ago. This was due to the fact that at the time it was the only HTML editor that I could find for the Windows 3.x platform. HoTMetal Free enables you to add graphics, hypertext links, image maps, and other HTML code to your Web pages without having to know HTML. Included with HoTMetaL Free are a number of templates for creating homepages, forms, and outlines that can be used to create your own Web pages. HoTMetaL includes a rules checking function that checks your documents for proper HTML and a filter to import and fix faulty HTML documents automatically.

The current version, HoTMetaL Free 2.0, supports HTML 3.0 Extensions and most Netscape extensions. It includes the ability to create WYSIWYG Tables and edit them right in your document as you would in a word processor. This version also includes Document Validation which checks to see which browsers will display your document correctly.

You can download a free copy of HoTMetaL Free 2.0 from SoftQuad's web site. There are Windows, UNIX, and Macintosh versions available for download. There is also a commercial version called HoTMetaL Pro 2.0 available for $179. Purchasing HoTMetaL Pro 2.0 also entitles you to a free upgrade to version 3.0 when it ships in May 1996. The current commercial version includes these additional features:

• Automatic Import and Conversion of Word Processing Files
• MetalWorks, a free add-on graphics package to get your graphics Web-ready
• Support for the latest HTML 3.0, 4.0 and Netscape Extensions
• Word Processing Features including a Spell Checker, Thesaurus, and user-definable Keyboard Macros.
• Help and Support including a printed manual with a step by step tutorial and free technical support

Microsoft has released Internet Assistants to convert Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Access, and Scheduler documents into HTML. You can download them for free from the Microsoft web site. The Internet Assistants integrate with their respected applications seamlessly. I have found them to be reliable, although some documents do lose their formatting in the conversion process.

I have been unable to find a conversion utility for Corel Office Professional documents at the Corel web site. There are shareware packages available that will convert WordPefect documents into HTML, but I haven't used them myself. I believe Corel plans to build HTML publishing support into the next version of Corel Office Professional. Lotus has integrated HTML publishing features into both Lotus Word Pro 96 and Lotus Freelance Graphics. There still isn't support for HTML publishing in Lotus 123 or the other modules, but at least this is a start.

If you have any questions or comments about this article please feel free to send me a message at tmartini@ix.netcom.com. In the next issue of the GCC News I'll show you how to post your Web pages on the World Wide Web.

• The Background Sampler: A collection of backgrounds from Netscape.

• The Backgrounds Archive: These are backgrounds for use in WWW pages, animations, graphics... wherever you need a seamless tiled background.

• Color Specifier For Netscape: To view and create color backgrounds you'll need Netscape 1.1b or later.

• A Beginner's Guide to HTML: A good guide for newbies from the NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications).

• Gamelan: An Internet directory and registry of Java based programs and resources.

• HTML Goodies: A collection of tutorials on HTML backgrounds, wallpaper, image maps, forms, etc. You'll also find the HTML Goodies Page, a collection of 400 lines, icons, balls, arrows, and buttons.

• The Icon Browser: One of the largest collections of icons I've found and it comes with its own search engine!

• Make Your Own Home Page: Nifty home page creation service for the complete novice or more experienced computer users.

• Texture Land: They currently have 196 textures that you can use in web pages, 3D modelling, VRML, for wallpaper, or anything else you can think of!

• If you right-click on the Windows 95 desktop or explorer window, it brings up the New submenu which gives you an option to create a new folder or file of a selected type. Unfortunately after you've installed a number of new applications, this menu can become cluttered with file types you don't need. The only way to remove the file types you don't need is by editing the Windows 95 Registry. Follow these instructions and only try this if you're comfortable with editing the registry:
  1. Start the Registry Editor (c:\windows\regedit.exe)
  2. Follow the Explorer-like tree to MyComputer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.
  3. Expand this branch and you'll see others named for the default extensions of different file types.
  4. Expand the one showing the extension of the file type you want to remove from the New submenu.
  5. If you want to remove the option that creates a new Excel (.xls) document, find the Registry entry MyComputer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\xls.
  6. Expand it, highlight the ShellNew entry underneath, and press Del to remove it.

• If you upgraded to Windows 95 after installing Quarterdeck's QEMM 8.0 on your Windows 3.x PC, starting Windows 95 in Safe mode can cause a crash. The fix:
  1. Restart your computer
  2. Press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message
  3. Choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only
  4. Edit the SYSTEM.INI file
  5. Locate the [boot] section and place a semicolon at the beginning of the line: DRIVERS=RSRCMGR.DLL to disable it.
  6. Add the line: DRIVERS=MMSYSTEM.DLL below the line you disabled.
  7. Save and close the SYSTEM.INI file and restart your PC.

• If running CorelDraw5 for Windows results in "Invalid Dynalinks" errors, one of CorelDraw's DLL files have been overwritten or damaged. Copying all the DLL files in the \REDIST directory of the CorelDraw CD-ROM into your hard disk's \COREL50\PROGRAMS directory should fix the problem.

• If you run a DOS program in Windows 95 by clicking on its icon you have the ability to set the amount of conventional memory it uses. Open the DOS program icon, right-click on the icon, choose Properties, and click on the Memory tab. Indicate the total conventional memory the program requires in the appropriate box, and click on OK.

• If your system has multiple hard drives moving the swapfile to your fastest drive can improve its performance. Be very careful when changing virtual memory settings in Windows 95. You probably don't want to try this if you're just starting out. For those of you who are more experienced follow these steps:
  1. In Control Panel choose System, then System Properties.
  2. Click on the Performance tab, and from the Advanced Settings option, select Virtual Memory.
  3. Select Let me specify my own virtual memory settings. You can then choose the new disk from the list in the Hard Disk box.
  4. You'll need to restart Windows 95 before the new settings will take effect.

The Internet Site of the month for May is the Internet Movie Database. The Internet Movie Database currently covers over 65,000 movies with over 900,000 filmography entries and is expanding continuously. If you're a movie buff this is a Must See site. The database includes filmographies for actors, directors, writers, composers, cinematographers, editors, production designers, costume designers, producers and a miscellaneous catch all section; plot summaries; character names; movie ratings; year of release; running times; movie trivia; quotes; goofs; soundtracks; personal trivia; alternative names; certificates; color information; country of production; genres; production companies; sound mix; reference literature; filming locations; sequel/remake information; release dates; advertising tag lines; detailed technical data; alternative versions; laserdisc availability; and Academy Award information.

"Undoubtedly one of the most extensive and well-thought-out sites on the web ... from the standpoint of content it's phenomenal. You could easily spend hours on the rating system alone, both contributing to it and reading it, and if you're a movie fan you'll find this place endlessly fascinating. Don't access it right before a pressing appointment." The World Wide Web 1996 Unleashed, John December and Neil Randall.

The Internet Technology of the month for May is the Netscape Power Pack 2.0. Give your Windows version of Netscape Navigator a boost with Netscape Power Pack, a suite of four Internet utilities delivering offline browsing, spell checking, Internet virus protection, and electronic chat capabilities. Power Pack 2.0 combines Netscape SmartMarks 2.0; Netscape Chat 2.0; Internet AntiVirus protection from Norton; CyberSpell, the spelling checker for Netscape Mail. The beta version is available for download from Netscape now. There are also plans for a CD-ROM version with an additional 15 Netscape Navigator Plug-Ins.

You'll want to download the Power Pack if only for the AntiVirus protection from Norton. I've had McAfee's VirusScan 95, with the latest virus definition file, installed on my PC for the past six months and never found any viruses. I installed the Norton AntiVirus plug-in and immediately found the AntiCMOS virus in my boot sector. In my opinion Norton AntiVirus beats McAfee hands down.

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